The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) spring testing will be starting on April 10th. Following the
spring testing parents will receive End-of-Term Individual Student Progress Reports. The report will include
final scores which are an estimate of the student’s achievement level. As a result of NWEA tests, we will be
able to make informed decisions on classroom curriculum and enhance student’s academic growth. More
information about NWEA testing and scores is available at the website: www.nwea.org
We have started the 4th Quarter with midterm being on April 19th. Midterm reports will be printed and sent
home on April 24th. Parents are reminded that they can check their student’s grades and progress online using
the PowerSchool Parent Access link at www.hagen.dickinson.k12.nd.us.
No school on April 6th and 9th for Easter Break, also no school on April 20th for teacher in-service.
Reminder to parents that the All City Band Concert will be held at DHS on April 10th at 7:00 p.m.

Counselor’s Corner

From Sharon Hansen

Greetings from the counselor’s office. Happy Spring!! We have begun the fourth and final quarter of
this school year. Report cards were sent home with students on March 23. If you have not seen your
child’s report card you may want to ask where it is or call the school for a duplicate copy. Spring is a
busy season for all of us. Track practice has started and other activities are also busy. Students who
miss school for whatever reason need to be sure and find out what they missed and turn their
makeup work in. I can’t stress enough how important it is to complete makeup work. Students may
also need to see their teachers for help if they don’t understand how to do the assignment they
missed. Pre-registration is complete for both 7th and 8th graders for the 2012-2013 school year. If by
chance you missed pre-registration please contact me asap.

Student Council News
Greetings from Hagen Student Council!! We had our last soup kitchen of the year on March 23rd with a great
group of kids cooking and cleaning up. We are gearing up to attend our Spring Middle Level Student Council
Conference in Bismarck on April 30th and May 1st. Applications are available in Mrs. Dockter’s office and
are due back to Mrs. Pritchard or Mr. Holinka by Wed. April 4th. Please make sure these are turned in by then
as we need to send a list of students to the Ramkota on April 5th. Keana Kudrna is our candidate for Middle
Level President/Vice President and she and her committee are currently working on putting together a skit and
getting things ready for her campaign. We have one dance left, April 27th, and we will be hosting a leadership
assembly with Mr. Bill Johnson who is a regular presenter at our state conventions, as well as an international
speaker. He will do a full school presentation and a leadership group workshop on Wed. May 2 nd at Hagen. We
are very excited for our spring conference and to host a great opportunity for our students with our upcoming
assembly with Bill!! Parents, thanks again for all the support you give your student and our student council at
Hagen!!

Page 2

The public is invited to attend the Dickinson Public Schools Teacher/Staff Retirement and
Recognition program to be held on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at 7:00 pm in the Dickinson
High School Risser Auditorium. A reception will follow in the DHS commons area.
Resignations and retirees with ten or more years of service to the district are: Janet Bauer (37
years of service), James Becker (21 years of service), Susan Biesiot (29 years of service), Perry Braunagel (15
years of service), Alvin Chalupnik (40 years of service), Lois Christensen (38 years of service), Debra Conlon
(31 years of service), Deborah Greenup (26 years of service), Sharon M. Hansen (20 years of service), Susan
Jacobsen (33 years of service), Alice Karn (39 years of service), Patricia Klein (18 years of service), Becky
Meduna (42 years of service), Margaret Olheiser (24 years of service), Rosella Perdaems (35 years of service),
Rudy Privratsky (16 years of service), Debra Rising (31 years of service), and Olivia Wellenstein (31 years of
service). Please join us in thanking and supporting the DPS staff for their many years of service and dedication
to the school district.

NO SCHOOL, April 6-9, 2012.
All City Band Concert, 7:00 p.m. at DHS, April 10, 2012.
PAC meeting at 12:00 p.m. at Hagen, April 19, 2012.
NO SCHOOL, April 20, 2012.
Elementary & Junior High Music Festival, THS, April 21, 2012.
Q4 Midterm, April 19, 2012.
Midterm grades sent home, April 24, 2012.
Student Council Convention in Bismarck, April 30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; May 1, 2012.

Notes from the Superintendent
Web site: www.dickinson.k12.nd.us
April 2012

New Elementary School
Between February of 2009 and February of 2012 the Dickinson Public Schools has experienced an increase
in enrollment in grades K-5 of 279 students. Currently, pre-enrollment for the kindergarten class in 2013 is 194
students which represent a 9.6% increase over the numbers from last school year. In previous articles,
information has been provided about the eleven classrooms that were added to the Jefferson and Lincoln
Elementary buildings in 2011 as well as the plans for the school district to proceed with construction of a new
elementary school that will open in the fall of 2013. The following information is intended to provide an update
on the progress for the new elementary building as we approach the bidding and construction phase.
It was previously reported that the preliminary schedule was to bid the project in March and conclude
awarding of the project in April. Due to various revisions to the project and the need to redesign some aspects of
the building this schedule has been delayed by approximately one month. The current schedule is to request bids
on the project in the next 2-3 weeks. Following receipt of bids the bid opening is scheduled for April 24 and the
bid award will occur on April 26. Conversations with the architect indicate the plan to open the building in the
fall of 2013 is still achievable.
The district administration has been discussing student assignment to the new elementary school for the
past few months as we prepare for opening the facility. Through these discussions the plan at this time is to
assign all students living north of I-94 to the new facility. There are approximately 215 students identified
currently living north of the interstate and numerous new housing units will be available for occupancy prior to
opening the new school. While we are not able to estimate the number of students who will reside in the new
housing we believe, when combined with those currently living north of the interstate, these two groups of
students will provide a basis for us to make staffing decisions and additional student assignments if necessary.
Additionally, we have discussed whether or not it is necessary to relocate students who will be in the 5 th grade in
2013 for one year only when the school opens. Our sentiment at this time is that relocating the students for only
one year may not be necessary. Consequently, our preliminary intent is to open the new facility as a K-4
building in the first year and expand to K-5 in year two.
This is the first school building north of the interstate for the Dickinson Public Schools and will be the first
new building in the 21st century. As such, it will have some attributes that are not present in our current school
facilities. The building will be heated and cooled with a ground source geothermal system. While this decision
did add to the initial expense of the facility we are confident the system will provide significant future savings
for heating and cooling the building. Additionally, the school will have enhanced security aspects not present in
our current schools. Individuals who are visiting the school will be required to enter through the building office
prior to gaining access to the entire facility. Finally, the school site is designed with off road access for buses,
parents picking up their children and deliveries. While the parent pick up area will not be able to accommodate
all vehicles, it is our hope this will alleviate some traffic congestion around the facility.
The school board and school administration continue to review and discuss future facility needs of the
school district. The school district is required to conduct a long-range planning discussion this school year and
this discussion will occur following the regular school board meeting on May 14. Future facility needs of the
school district will be on that agenda and individuals interested in the issue are encouraged to attend and
participate in this long-range planning discussion on May 14.

If you have any questions about this or any other issue in the Dickinson Public Schools, please do not
hesitate to contact me at 456-0002 or through email at douglas.sullivan@dickinson.k12.nd.us.
Sincerely,

Your child can find
creative-writing ideas in
unexpected places. Perhaps he’ll write
about a funny incident in gym class
or put a modern twist on a fairy tale
he reads to a sibling. Suggest that he
carry a small notebook for jotting
down possibilities. Then, when he
has an assignment or just feels like
writing, he’ll have ideas ready.

Making it right

An apology means more if your youngster follows up on it. When she makes
a mistake, ask her what her plan is for
the future. For example, say you have
to get out of bed to tell her to turn
down her music. After she says “I’m
sorry,” she might tape a sign to her
speakers that reads “Turn the volume
down at bedtime.”

Stepparents and tweens

It can take time for a new family to
bond. Try inviting your stepchild to
join you in an activity you both enjoy,
like fishing or going to car shows.
If he doesn’t want to go along, say,
“Maybe next time.” Keep asking,
and let him adjust at his own pace.

Worth quoting

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
William James

Just for fun
Q: What can go as fast as a racehorse?
A: The jockey!

Mr. Perry Braunagel, Principal

What’s your style?
Information clicks with students in
different ways. Perhaps your child
learns best by discussing material with classmates. Or
maybe she needs to find
connections between
ideas or to read about a
topic first. Most likely,
she uses a combination of learning
styles.
Here are a few
ways youngsters
learn, along with tips
for getting the most from each.

Social

A social learner enjoys interacting and
collaborating. She’s good at working in
groups and participating in class discussions. If your middle grader likes learning with others, suggest that she study
with friends. Or offer to listen while she
summarizes a novel out loud or brainstorms science project ideas.

Logical

Is your tween good at solving puzzles
and problems? Does she easily recognize

patterns and understand step-by-step
directions? She may be a logical learner.
Encourage her to rewrite class notes in
outline form. When she studies, she can
draw charts and diagrams.

Verbal

Verbal learners like reading, writing,
and talking. If this sounds like your
youngster, suggest that she use rhymes,
songs, or abbreviations to help her
remember information. She might also
make up word problems to go with math
equations.

Family volunteering
Volunteering as a family is one way to introduce your child to community service. Here are
ways he can do his part and gain volunteer
experience:
■■Stop by the public library to ask about
opportunities. Your family might reshelve
books or lend a hand during events or
programs (book sales, English or Spanish
conversation clubs).
■■Call nursing homes or assisted-living communities. Your family could help with
activities, such as making crafts or reading aloud.
■■Children

ages 8–13 can volunteer with Special Olympics if a parent or guardian
goes with them. Click on your state at specialolympics.org to see what’s available.

“I want to belong to the popular crowd.” Finding friends
who don’t drink is key. Try to
steer your middle grader toward
activities with kids who aren’t
known to be drinkers (ask
neighbors or parents of older
children for suggestions). Having
friends in that group can make
him less interested in belonging
to the drinking crowd and give him
the confidence to say no to alcohol.

Up to 40 percent of eighth-graders
report trying alcohol at least once.
Whether they drink to see what it’s
like or to act cool, knowing why children say yes can help you provide reasons to say no.
“I’m bored.” Your youngster may have
heard that drinking is fun. Tell him that
it’s not fun to throw up, pass out, or get
arrested—all of which can happen when children drink.
Then, help him realize there are lots of fun alcohol-free activities. He and his friends might go to the batting cages, play
pickup hockey, or attend dances at a teen center.

“I’m so stressed out.” Even children this age might use alcohol to cope with problems (arguments with friends, pressures of
schoolwork, their parents’ divorce). Talk about healthy ways to
relieve stress instead. He might confide in a trusted adult, exercise, or work on his favorite hobby. For more serious situations,
your child may need to meet with a counselor.

Activity Word games
games are not
Corner onlyWord
Responsible social networking
fun, they help build Q

vocabulary and spelling skills. Here are
two to try.

Word morph

Have your
youngster write a
five- or six-letter
word at the top of a
sheet of paper. Let
family members take
turns making a new word by changing
one letter in the last word written. Example: quack, quick, quirk. When you can’t
make any more words, pick a new word
and play again.

Word staircase

Each player writes the numbers 4 to
12 down the left side of her paper. One
person picks a two-letter combination
that often begins words (en, cr, ph) and
sets a timer for five minutes. Next to
each number, write a word with that
many letters and beginning with the
letters chosen. Example: For en, put
“envy” beside 4 and “enact” by 5. To
win, come up with the most words that
no one else used.
O

My sixth-grade daughter wants a Facebook account,
but I think she’s too young, and I worry about her seeing
inappropriate posts. Are there other options?

Explain to your child that Facebook users
must be 13. Just as she had to wait for other
privileges, like staying up later, she’ll need to
wait to join Facebook.
In the meantime, consider everloop.com,
imbee.com, or gianthello.com. These sites are
designed for younger children and offer parental controls. For instance, you approve
new friends, determine whether your middle grader can chat, and get reports about
her online activity.
When she’s online, encourage her to think carefully about the words or pictures
she posts. For example, would she want her grandmother to read what she’s writing?
Would she want to see the photo hanging in the school hallway? If not, she might
not want to make it public online either! Being careful now will help her get in the
habit of maintaining a good online reputation.

Parent A “teachable moment”
to
out when there had been earthquakes in
Earthquakes are
Parent unusual
our area before.
in our area, so

when we felt a small one, our son Chad
had lots of questions. What caused
it? Could it happen again? His
curiosity reminded me of
when he was little and fascinated by rainbows or by ants
carrying crumbs.
I suggested that Chad get a
library book about earthquakes. He
was surprised to learn that we would
probably feel aftershocks for several
weeks. He also looked online to find

Chad told his science teacher
what he had learned, and she
called the earthquake a “teachable moment.” Since then,
we’ve started looking for other
teachable moments to pique
Chad’s curiosity and encourage him to do research. Now
he shares interesting discoveries with us, such as why we
celebrate April Fools’ Day or
why 2012 is a leap year.

™

Healthy Ideas for Middle and High School Students

April 2012

Hagen Junior High School
Mr. Perry Braunagel, Principal

FAST

meals
TAKES Smaller
Instead of three big

meals a day, encourage your child
to have five smaller meals. This plan
can keep her full and help her avoid
snacking or overeating at dinner. Suggest that she have a smaller breakfast,
lunch, and dinner and replace snacks
with “mini-meals” (sandwich, oatmeal with fruit) after school and midway between dinner and bedtime.

Activity adds up

You’ve heard of
“no pain, no gain”?
When it comes to
physical activity,
that’s not true!
Make sure your child knows that fun
stuff definitely counts toward the
hour of exercise he should get each
day. Whether he’s playing touch football with his cousins or going bowling
with friends, it all adds up.
Did You

?

Iron is an important
nutrient that helps our
bodies make red blood cells. Teen
boys need 11 mg of iron a day, while
girls need 15 mg. Encourage your
children to eat iron-rich foods like red
meat, poultry, spinach, and navy or
pinto beans. Also, have them check
the labels of their favorite cereals and
pick the one with the most iron — at
least 3 mg. Tip: Foods with vitamin C,
such as orange juice, help the body
absorb iron.

Cross training
It’s great if your teen
is hooked on a certain
sport. But doing a variety of
physical activities can make
athletes more well-rounded
and keep nonathletes in
better shape. Here’s why.

Different strengths

Each sport or activity helps
develop certain skills. Have your child
talk to her coach or look online to find
the benefits of her regular sport — and
then see what activities would fill in
the gaps. For example, if she plays
basketball, her coordination is probably
improving. A yoga class or gymnastics
could increase her flexibility.

Different muscles

When your teen plays the same sport
all the time, she works the same muscles
over and over again. To reduce her chances
of injury, encourage her to try other sports
or activities that work different muscles.
For instance, if she runs track, her outer
thighs are getting a workout. She might

Nutrition quiz

take up in-line skating, which works the
inner thighs.

Different interests

Cross training may help your teen
uncover hidden talents and keep her from
getting bored. If she has always played
soccer, she might not have had a chance
to find out that she enjoys fencing or
cycling. She also might like mixing up
team sports with individual or partner
activities like indoor climbing or squash—
and find that it’s nice to be on her own
or with one friend.

Does your teen know what’s in the food he
likes to eat? Try this activity to test his food
know-how and help him get in the habit
of reading food labels:
1. Have him write down his five favorite foods
or drinks.
2. Without peeking at the nutrition information,
each of you rank them from least to most calories.
3. Then, use the same foods and rank them based on sugar, sodium, fat, protein,
fiber, or vitamins.
4. How did you each do? Checking your answers might provide some nice surprises (his favorite burrito has a healthy amount of fiber) or a wake-up call (his
everyday sports drink is high in sugar).
Idea: Try again using your five favorite foods.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Teen Food & Fitness™

April 2012 • Page 2

Beware of
bullying

Go over responses. Encourage
your child to ignore mean comments about his weight (or anything else) and to walk away
from bullies. Make sure he
knows that his weight doesn’t
define him, no matter what a
bully says. Note: While he might
be reluctant to involve adults, let
him know that bullying is a serious
problem his teachers and school
staff need to know about.
Build confidence. Help boost your
teen’s self-esteem by playing up his strengths (mentioning
what a loyal friend he is), asking his advice on topics he
knows about (which computer or cell phone to buy), or seeking his opinion (how to vote in a local election). You could
also offer to enroll him in martial arts classes —karate or judo
can build his physical confidence.

Overweight teens can be targets for bullies. If your child struggles with his weight,
you can help him avoid struggling with
bullying, too. Consider these suggestions.
Watch for signs. Kids who are bullied often
want to stay home from school when they’re
not really sick or avoid activities they used to
enjoy. More obvious signs might include torn
clothing, missing possessions, or unexplained
bruises or cuts.

NT Snack
PARTE
O
bar
PARENT choices
When I volunteered at the snack bar
last month during my son Brad’s baseball game, I was shocked by how much
junk food teens were eating. So I thought
it would be a good idea to discuss the
best choices for Brad to make when he
buys snacks at sporting events.
We agreed that fresh fruit or sunflower seeds are always good options.
And if those aren’t available, we thought
popcorn or granola bars would be better
than nachos
or candy.
While I’m
sure there
will be times
when my son
gets unhealthy
snacks, I think
he is starting
to make healthier choices.
And now I’m
considering signing up for our booster
club’s snack bar committee — I’d like to
help choose more nutritious foods to
sell next year!
O U R

P U R P O S E

To provide busy parents with practical ways to promote
healthy nutrition and physical activity for their children.
Resources for Educators,
a division of CCH Incorporated
128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630
540-636-4280 • rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.com
www.rfeonline.com
Teen Food & Fitness™ is reviewed by a registered dietitian. Consult
a physician before beginning any major change in diet or exercise.

Your child might think of walking as just a leisurely way to get from one place to
another. But walking can be a workout! Review these
strategies with your teen:
●●Have her find a route she likes and time how
long it takes her to walk it. Suggest that she trim a
minute off her time by walking faster. Then, she can
try to shave off another minute.
●●Encourage her to increase the distance she walks.
She can work up to another lap (or more) around the high school track or add a
block a week to a neighborhood route. Or she might go farther by walking twice a
day (after school and after dinner).
●●Besides faster or longer walks, your teen could try other ways to up the challenge.
For instance, she could choose a route with hills or carry a two-pound weight in
each hand.

In the

K tchen Food on a stick
Forget the fork — these healthy
recipes will let your kids enjoy eating
right off the stick.
Beef skewers. Soak bamboo sticks
(available in grocery stores) in water
for 30 minutes. Thinly slice flank
steak, and thread two slices onto each
skewer. Brush with low-sodium teriyaki sauce, and grill or broil 1–2 minutes per side.
Italian salad bites. Put one grape
tomato, one basil leaf, and one chunk
of mozzarella cheese on a toothpick.
Drizzle with olive oil.

Pretzel sticks. Mix whipped cream

cheese with raisins and chopped nuts.
Spread on pretzel rods.
Fruit pops. Peel a mango, and cut the
fruit into long, thick strips. Place mango
pieces on lollipop sticks, and sprinkle
with chili powder for a sweet-and-spicy
treat. Note: This works well with fresh
pineapple spears, too.